NASCAR officials may have been grinning behind closed doors, but in front of the cameras it was business as usual.

“We’ve got to take the time, be smart about this, really look at is, see where we can go from here,” Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer for NASCAR, cautioned afterward.

“But I think it’s fair to say that this is something we absolutely want to look at.”

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The aero package consisted of the use of a restrictor plates, manufacturer-specific aerodynamic ducts, a much taller rear spoiler, and different front splitter and radiator pan configurations than what is on the current ’18 package.

It’s similar to the series’ superspeedway package where restrictor plates are also used but without the aero ducts and other pieces disrupting airflow around the vehicles.

How much did the package impact the product?

Kevin Harvick, already a winner of five points races this season, walked off with the $1 million winner’s check after all was said and done Saturday night.

The driver of the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing led twice for 36 laps, including the final 11, in what turned into a 93-lap affair when it was pushed into overtime.

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There were 12 lead changes among seven drivers and not all those changes took place on pit road or on restarts, so that was a positive.

NASCAR officials also pointed out the race saw 38 green-flag passes for the lead (measured at the various scoring loops embedded around the track), which was more than the previous four All-Star races combined.

But even the winner urged a cautious approach to what for now is merely a one-off package.

“I’d like to make sure we don’t jump and say this is the save-all, do-all package,” Harvick said. “I’d like to see it slowly transformed into points-paying races because I think the preparation level will be a little bit different from every team in the garage. I just want to make sure we cycle it in correctly, make sure it fits in well for the teams to be able to afford the things that need to be done to get the cars right.”

A similar package was used in the lower-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series last season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and produced positive results. It will be implemented in that series again this year at Michigan, Pocono and Indy.

For the most part, driver reaction seemed to be split. Fans who chimed in on social channels seemed to either love it or hate it.

But like Harvick says, before there’s a rush to incorporate the package into future, points-paying events, however, there are things to consider, questions to be asked and more development to be done.

How much of what fans saw in the race was due to a lack of practice time to allow teams to dial in the package? Weather washed out all but qualifying on Friday, leaving teams little more than an hour Saturday morning to tinker with setups.

How much of it was a result of teams not having the aero ducts and other pieces on hand to make run after run in the wind tunnel and in simulation in an attempt to maximize and understand the changes?

Without the correct parts and pieces, most noted, there was little sense in testing.

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How soon could it be implemented in a points-paying race?

A return in Cup in 2018 is unlikely, in part because NASCAR’s charter agreement with teams is said to not allow for major rule changes during the season, a cost-saving move that protects teams both big and small.

“I would never say never,” O’Donnell said. “But our intent is … to try this here, then really take a deep dive into how do we make this the best package possible for 2019 if we liked what we saw?”

There’s little doubt officials were encouraged.

It’s where they go from here that remains to be seen.

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